American Aviation 1917

Curtiss Model H

Curtiss Model H-12

The Curtiss Model H was a family of classes of early long-range flying boats, the first two of which were developed directly on commission in the United States in response to the £10,000 prize challenge issued in 1913 by the London newspaper, the Daily Mail, for the first non-stop aerial crossing of the Atlantic. As the first aircraft having trans-Atlantic range and cargo-carrying capacity, it became the grandfather development leading to early international commercial air travel, and by extension, to the modern world of commercial aviation. The last widely produced class, the Model H-12, was retrospectively designated Model 6 by Curtiss' company in the 1930s, and various classes have variants with suffixed letters indicating differences.

Having transatlantic range and cargo carrying capacity by design, the first H-2 class (soon dubbed "The Americans" by the Royal Navy) was quickly drafted into wartime use as a patrol and rescue aircraft by the RNAS, the air arm of the British Royal Navy. The original two "contest" aircraft were in fact temporarily seized by the Royal Navy, which later paid for them and placed an initial follow-on order for an additional 12 — all 14 of which were militarized (e.g. by adding gun mounts) and designated the "H-4" (the two originals were thereafter the "H-2" Models to air historians). These changes were produced under contract from Curtiss' factory in the last order of 50 "H-4s", giving a class total of 64, before the evolution of a succession of larger, more adaptable, and more robust H-class models. This article covers the whole line of nearly 500 Curtiss Model H seaplane flying boat aircraft known to have been produced, since successive models - by whatever sub-model designation - were physically similar, handled similarly, essentially just being increased in size and fitted with larger and improved engines — the advances in internal combustion engine technology in the 1910s being as rapid and explosive as any technological advance has ever been.
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When London's Daily Mail newspaper in 1913 put up a $10,000 prize for the first non-stop aerial crossing of the Atlantic, American businessman Rodman Wanamaker became determined that the prize should go to an American aircraft and commissioned the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company to design and build two aircraft capable of making the flight. The Mail's offer of a large monetary prize for "an aircraft with transoceanic range" (in an era with virtually no airports) galvanized air enthusiasts world wide, and, in America, prompted a collaboration between the American and British air pioneers: Glenn Curtiss and Lt-Cdr Porte, spurred financially by the nationalistically motivated financing of air enthusiast Rodman Wanamaker. The class, while commissioned by Wanamaker, was actually a scaled-up version of Curtiss' work for the United States Navy and his Curtiss Model E. With Royal Navy Lt-Cdr Cyril Porte as Chief Test Pilot, development and testing of the two prototypes proceeded rapidly, despite the inevitable surprises and teething troubles inherent in new engines, hull and fuselage. Both prototypes, once fitted with sponsons, were then called Model H-2s and were incrementally updated alternating in succession, and were successfully fully tested by the late summer of 1914, when they were shipped to England. At this time they were scheduled for a transatlantic flight in August 1914, attempting to cross the North Atlantic Ocean by air — a trial canceled because of the outbreak of World War I.

The resulting Model H was a conventional biplane design with two-bay, unstaggered wings of unequal span with two tractor engines mounted side-by-side above the fuselage in the interplane gap. Wingtip pontoons were attached directly below the lower wings near their tips. The Model H resembled Curtiss' earlier flying boat designs but was considerably larger in order to carry enough fuel to cover 1,100 mi (1,770 km). The three crew members were accommodated in a fully-enclosed cabin.

Christened America, trials of the first Model H began in June 1914 and revealed a serious shortcoming in the design: the tendency for the nose of the aircraft to try to submerge as engine power increased while taxiing on water. This phenomenon had not been encountered before, since Curtiss' earlier designs had not used such powerful engines. In order to counteract this effect, Curtiss fitted fins to the sides of the bow to add hydrodynamic lift, but soon replaced these with sponsons to add more buoyancy. These sponsons would remain a prominent feature of flying boat hull design in the decades to follow. With the problem resolved, preparations for the crossing resumed, and 5 August 1914 was selected as the date.

These plans were interrupted by the outbreak of war, which also saw Porte, who had been selected to pilot the America, recalled to service with the British Royal Navy. Impressed by the capabilities he had witnessed, Porte urged the Admiralty to commandeer (and later, purchase) the America and her sister from Curtiss. This was followed by a decision to order a further 12 similar aircraft, one Model H-2 and the remaining as Model H-4s, four examples of the latter actually being assembled in the UK by Saunders. All of these were essentially identical to the design of the America, and indeed, were all referred to as "Americas" in Royal Navy service. This initial batch was followed by an order for another 50.

These aircraft were soon of great interest to the British Admiralty as anti-submarine patrol craft and for air-sea rescue roles. The initial Royal Navy purchase of just two aircraft eventually spawned a fleet of aircraft which saw extensive military service during World War I in these roles, being extensively developed in the process (together with many spinoff or offspring variants) under the compressed research and development cycles available in wartime. Consequently, as the war progressed, the Model H was developed into progressively larger variants, and it served as the basis for parallel developments in the United Kingdom under Cyril Porte which led to the "Felixstowe" series of flying boats with their better hydrodynamic hull forms, beginning with the Felixstowe F.2 — a hull form which thereafter became the standard in seaplanes of all kinds, just as sponsons did for flying boats.

Curtiss next developed an enlarged version of the same design, designated the Model H-8, with accommodation for four crew members. A prototype was constructed and offered to the United States Navy, but was ultimately also purchased by the British Admiralty. This aircraft would serve as the pattern for the Model H-12, used extensively by both the Royal Navy and the United States Navy. Upon their adoption into service by the RNAS, they became known as Large Americas, with the H-4s receiving the retronym Small America.

As built, the Model H-12s had 160 hp (118 kW) Curtiss V-X-X engines, but with these engines they were underpowered, so in Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) service they were re-engined with the 275 hp (205 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle I and then the 375 hp (280 kW) Eagle VIII. Porte redesigned the H-12 with an improved hull; this design, the Felixstowe F.2, was produced and entered service. Some of the H-12s were later rebuilt with a hull similar to the F.2, these rebuilds being known as the Converted Large America. Later aircraft for the U.S. Navy received the Liberty engine (designated Curtiss H-12L).

Curiously, the Curtiss company designation Model H-14 was applied to a completely unrelated design (see Curtiss HS), but the Model H-16, introduced in 1917, represented the final step in the evolution of the Model H design.[3] With longer-span wings, and a reinforced hull similar to the Felixstowe flying boats, the H-16s were powered by Liberty engines in U.S. Navy service and by Eagle IVs for the Royal Navy. These aircraft remained in service through the end of World War I and remained in U.S. Navy service for some years after the war, most receiving engine upgrades to more powerful Liberty variants.

With the RNAS, H-12s and H-16s operated from flying boat stations on the coast in long-range anti-submarine and anti-Zeppelin patrols over the North Sea. A total of 71 H-12s and 75 H-16s were received by the RNAS, commencing patrols in April 1917, with 18 H-12s and 30 H-16s remaining in service in October 1918.

U.S. Navy H-12s were kept at home and did not see foreign service, but ran anti-submarine patrols from their own naval stations. Twenty aircraft were delivered to the U.S. Navy. Some of the H-16s, however, arrived at bases in the UK in time to see limited service just before the cessation of hostilities.

Variants

Model H-1 or Model 6: original version intended for transatlantic crossing (two built)

Model H-2: (1 built)

Model H-4: similar to H-1 for RNAS (62 built)

Model H-8: enlarged version of H-4 (one built)

Model H-12 or Model 6A: production version of H-8 with Curtiss V-X-X engines (104 built)

Model H-12A or Model 6B: RNAS version re-engined with Rolls-Royce Eagle I

Curtiss Model S

Curtiss Model S-3 Model 10

The Curtiss Model S (also known as Speed Scout or Model 10) was a single-seat fighter aircraft.

The Model S was Curtiss' first attempt at a fast and maneuverable single-seat fighter. The first variant, S-1, had disappointing performance. In March 1917, new wings were attached to the S-1 fuselage and the project was redesignated S-2. In 1917, the S-3 became the first triplane in service in the United States. In 1918 and 1919, Curtiss experimented with seaplane versions of the S-3, designated S-4 and S-5. The S-6 was intended to be an improved S-3, but performance was poor and of the 12 ordered by the USASC, only 1 was delivered.

Heinrich Pursuit

Heinrich Pursuit

The Heinrich Pursuit was an American fighter prototype of the 1910s. It was the only known aircraft designed by Albert Heinrich.

During the 19 months in which the US participated in World War I, several attempts were made to design competent single-seat fighters of original design. Among these was the Heinrich Pursuit, conceived in 1917 by Albert Heinrich and built by the Victor Aircraft Corporation. Aerodynamically clean, the Pursuit was a single-bay, unequal-span biplane, powered by a 100 hp Gnome engine.
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Two examples were ordered by the US Army Signal Corps. The first was delivered in November 1917, and underwent field testing at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio. However, at the time US Air Force policy was to forego fighters of national design in favour of more tested foreign types. Nevertheless, the Pursuit was considered to have potential as a fighter trainer, and two more aircraft were ordered. These were powered by a more reliable 80 hp Le Rhône engine, and had a strengthened cabane and paired struts. The gross weight was reduced by 77 kg. These aircraft, called the Pursuit Mk II were delivered in early 1918 but no further development followed. One Pursuit, reputedly from 1918, equipped with a Liberty 8 engine is kept at the March Field Air Museum in Riverside, California.
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Lewis Vought VE-7

Lewis Vought VE-7 - 1917

The Vought VE-7 Bluebird was an early biplane of the United States. fist flying in 1917, it was designed as a 2-seat trainer for the United States Army, then adopted by the United States Navy as its very first fighter aircraft. In 1922, a VE-7 became the first plane to take off from an American aircraft carrier.

The Lewis & Vought Corporation was formed just months after the US entered World War I, with the intention of servicing war needs. The company's trainer was patterned after successful European designs; for instance, the engine was a Wright Hispano Suiza of the type used by the French Spads. In practice, the VE-7's performance was much better than usual for a trainer, and comparable to the best fighters, and the Army ordered 1,000 of an improved design called the VE-8. However, the contract was cancelled due to the end of the war.

However, the Navy was very interested in the VE-7, and received a 1st machine in May 1920. Production orders soon followed, in fact beyond what the fledgling Vought organization could handle, and the Naval Aircraft Factory was pressed into service. In all, 128 VE-7s were built.
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The fighter version of the VE-7 was designated VE-7S. It was a single-seater, the front cockpit being faired over and a Vickers .30 cal. machine gun mounted over it, on the left side and synchronized to fire through the propeller. Some planes, designated VE-7SF, had flotation gear consisting of inflatable bags stowed away, available to help keep the plane afloat when ditching at sea.

The Bluebird won the 1918 Army competition for advanced training machines.

The VE-9 variant, 1st delivered to the Navy on 24 June 1922, was essentially an improved VE-7, with most of the improvements in the fuel system area. 4 of the 21 ordered by the U.S. Navy were unarmed observation float seaplanes for battleship catapult use.

The VE-7s equipped the Navy's 1st 2 fighter squadrons VF-1 and VF-2. A VE-7 flown by Lieutenant Virgil C. Griffin made history on 17 October 1922 when it took off from the deck of the newly-commissioned Langley. The VE-7s were the Navy's frontline fighters for several years, with 3 still assigned to the Langley in 1927; all were retired the following year.

Variants

VE-7 (1918) - 14 built for the U.S. Army Air Service; 39 built for the U.S. Navy; (One of 2 known built at McCook Field. Reportedly 4 more were built by Springfield Co)

VE-7F (1921) - 29 built for the U.S. Navy

VE-7G (1921) - 1 converted from VE-7 for U.S. Marine Corps, 23 converted from VE-7 for U.S. Navy

Standard E-1

Standard E-1

The Standard E-1 was an early American Army fighter aircraft, tested in 1917. It arrived late in World War I, and as a result saw more use in the months following the Armistice than those preceding it.

Built by the Standard Aircraft Corporation, the E-1 was an open-cockpit single-place tractor biplane, powered by an 80 hp (60 kW) Le Rhône or 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome or rotary engine. It proved unsuitable as a fighter, but 128 were bought as an advanced trainer. Of these, 30 were powered by the Gnone rotary engine of 100 horsepower and 98 were powered by the LeRhone C-9 rotary engine of 80 horsepower. After World War I, three were modified as RPVs.

Thomas-Morse S-4

Thomas-Morse S-4

The Thomas-Morse Scout became the favorite single-seat training airplane for U.S. pilots during World War I. The Scout first appeared with an order for 100 S4Bs in the summer of 1917. The U.S. Army Air Service later purchased nearly 500 of a slightly modified version, the S4C. Dubbed the "Tommy" by its pilots, the plane had a long and varied career.

Built by Thomas-Morse Aircraft in Bath, New York in 1917, it was a compact single-seat open-cockpit biplane of equal span and a 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome rotary.

Designed by Englishman Benjamin D. Thomas (no relation), formerly of the Sopwith Aviation Company, the S-4 made her maiden flight in June 1917 in the hands of Paul D. Wilson. Twelve went to the Navy.
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The S-4B, with a 110 hp Gnome, span of 27' (8.22 m), and length 20'3" (6.17 m) proved more successful, with three prototypes followed by an order of 97 for the Army and ten for the Navy, while six more were completed with two main and one tail floats as the Navy S-5. The S4B was used by practically every pursuit flying school in the U.S. during 1918.

It was supplemented in 1918 by the S-4C, at a cost of US $5400 each. Six prototypes were built, and the 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome B-9 was replaced by the "more reliable" 80 hp (60 kW) Le Rhône C-9, built by the Union Switch and Signal Company of Swissvale, Pennsylvania. The last fifty machines ordered had shorter-span wings and were designated S-4Cs. Further orders were placed for this version, with the 80 hp. Le Rhône 9-C rotary, in place of the Mono-Gnome; the fuselage of the Le Rhône 'Tommy' was slightly shorter. Four S-4Cs with floats went to the Navy, and 461 for the Army.

As it could be easily converted into a seaplane, the S-4 was offered to both the U.S. Army and Navy. The prototype was tested at Hampton, Virginia, and as a result of these trials fifty modified machines, known as S-4Bs, were ordered shortly after the United States entered the war.

This order was increased to 150 to cope with the increased need for training aeroplanes. Meanwhile a similar model with twin floats, the S-5, was put into production for the Navy Department.

Tommys flew at practically every pursuit flying school in the United States during 1918. After the war ended, the Air Service sold them as surplus to civilian flying schools, sportsman pilots and ex-Army fliers. Some were still being used in the mid-1930s for WWI aviation movies filmed in Hollywood.s donated to the museum in March 1965 by Capt. R.W. Duff, Miami, Fla., and restored by Aero Mechanics High School, Detroit, Mich.

After World War I many "Tommys" were sold as surplus to civilian flying schools, sportsman pilots, and ex-Army fliers. Many were still being used in the mid-1930s for World War I aviation movies, and several continue to exist in flying condition today.

The final model in the series was fitted with new tail, shorter tapered wings, a mounting for a synchronized gun, and 110 hp (82 kW) Le Rhône, becoming the S-4E aerobatic trainer. It was not adopted, and (fitted with a 135 hp (101 kW) Aeromarine V8 engine) became Basil Rowe‘s racer Space-Eater.
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